DWR Looking For Ways To Improve Long-Term Weather Forecasting

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The key to saving water and protecting the region from flooding goes hand-in-hand with predicting wet season storms.

The Department of Water Resources is now pushing to get a better handle on this over the next few years.

DWR held a workshop in Sacramento on Thursday about the importance of long-range weather forecasting and its impact on water management.

Water releases from dams across Northern California are necessary for flood control, but predicting when to release water depends on weather forecasts that go beyond just seven days. The science behind weather prediction has greatly improved over the last 10 years, but seeing far enough into the future accurately is still a problem.

A one-week forecast is about 70 percent accurate, but stretch it to 14 days and you’re down to just 7 percent.

DWR wants more resources into computer power. That money could help predict storms earlier and help prevent disasters before they happen and pay for themselves down the road.